Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Katie's Top 10 Baby Products Part 2

Welcome to TOP TEN TUESDAYS! Every Tuesday I will post a top 10 list of mine on a variety of subjects. This week's as promised is the second part of my Katie's Top 10 Baby Products post. These are my top 10 must haves for 6-12 month old babies (give or take a few months because every baby, and mommy, is different). Some of these products you may want to get before 6 months of age and others will have to wait until closer to 8 or 9 months.

10. Baby Einstein Discovery KitsThis is at #10 because some babies enjoy TV and some babies are not interested, and some mommies approve of TV and other do not. These discovery kits are wonderful! They come with a DVD, a cardboard book and a music CD. They all have to do with the same thing (for example, colors) The DVD introduces the colors along with music for each color. The book and the CD help solidify the topic in your baby's brain. There is a parent guide to help you take full advantage of the kits. They are fairly new and there are 3 different levels depending on the age/developmental stage of your baby.

9. Baby Einstein Language Discovery CardsThese are large durable cards to help your baby learn household items, animals and toys (and lots more!) There are several different sets of flash cards. The ones I own have a large picture of the item and then the word below that. On the other side are teaching tips to help your baby learn the word AND tells you what the word is and how to say it in Spanish, French, German, Hebrew, Japanese, and Russian! I think the different languages are great! The age says 9+months, but we started our son earlier than that.

8. Spill-Proof Snack CupsOnce your little one starts eating finger foods this is one of the greatest inventions in baby history. You can fill the cup up and put the lid on and hand it to your little one. You baby can get the snack out of the cup, but it will not poor out all over the car or the high chair! This is especially wonderful for car rides and family outings.

7. Walk and Ride Push ToyThis is one of those items that your little one may not need until they are closer to 9 months old. This is a push that helps encourage your little one to walk. This toy is great because it gives your little one something to balance on, but he/she can still walk without holding onto your finger (and you can give your back a break) Then it coverts to a car that your little one can ride on and push it with their feet. I like this toy because it grows with your little one.

6. My First BooksI know you did not forget to get your little one some books to look at and read together, but I wanted to suggest a few. I have a set of topic based cardboard books that include: Colors, Trucks, First Words, and Animals. These are great to look at together and say the word, what it means or how the animal/machine sounds. It is also great for your little one to enjoy by him/herself. The individual play combined with reading the books together will help your little one recognize the items in the book.

5. Leap Frog Learning TableThis is one of the most wonderful gifts we got for my son's first Christmas. My son had just turned 7 months and was starting to pull up on things. This toy is high enough (and strong enough) to help encourage your little one to start pulling up and standing. Once your little one gets to a standing position, the table is full of different buttons and gadgets that make music from the actual instruments your little one will push. This table also does colors and numbers AND has a Spanish mode.

4. ExerSaucerThis may be one of those things that you buy before your little one turns 6 months old. exesaucers are good for babies that are very stable with their neck and head. If you think your baby looks a little slumped you can always add blankets in front or behind your little one to help support them. These are great because they help your little one develop back and leg muscles, plus, lets be honest, it gives mommy a little break.

3. Inflatable TubOk, so your little one has grown out of their little newborn tub, but there is NO WAY you are just going to stick them in the tub yet. This is, again, a wonderful baby invention. This is an inflatable tub that you stick inside of your regular tub. It is smaller than the tub so there is still less water. It is also softer so you do not have to worry about your little one hitting his/her head on the side of the tub or the faucet! Ours is in the shape of a duck and when you push the beak it QUACKS! It used to startle our son, but then he would just giggle when I pushed it!

2. High Chair Booster SeatInstead of buying a full high chair we opted for a high chair that you attach to one of your chairs. It sits so that your little one sits at about the same height as you do at the table. We really like this because it feels like our son is at the table with us, even though he has his own tray and everything. We think family dinners together are VERY important and this makes it feel more like we are eating as a family. It has three seat settings. there are two reclining setting for when your baby cannot sit up on hi/her own yet and then a setting that is straight up for when your little one can sit up on his/her own. This is also SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than a full size high chair! The only down side is that it does use one of your chairs, so grab some folding chairs for when you have visitors.

AND THE #1 PRODUCT IS.......

1. Shopping Cart/High Chair CoverNext to the Boppy which I raved about in my other Top 10 post, this is the most wonderful baby invention EVER! This is a cover to set your baby in when you go shopping with a shopping cart or when you go out to eat and place your baby in a high chair. Shopping carts are FULL of germs and it puts me at peace knowing we are somewhat avoiding the shopping card germs when we use the cover. Same with the high chairs. Restaurants claim they clean them, but how well? The cover is also easily used for high chairs too, no adjustments or anything. It has two leg holes and I think gives your little one a little bit more stability in the high chair. They are soft so they give your little one a little bit of a cushion and come in cute patterns for both boys and girls!

As I did last time, I have included a link to the products website or where you can find more info/purchase the product. Again, the links are links to products that I own or ones that are similar to the ones I own. Hope you enjoy my list and I hope that you find it helpful in making your registry or just preparing for the future! As always, God Bless you and your family!